Family therapy may be more effective than simply increasing the dosage of an antidepressant drug when a patient with severe depression suffers a relapse during long-term treatment, new research suggests.

The results from the present study illustrate the important role life events and family balance have on patients being treated for repeat depression episodes, note Dr. Giovanni A. Fava, University of Bologna, Italy, and colleagues.

"If one is taking antidepressants but has a lot of stress around, particularly in their family, they need family treatment and not more drugs," Fava told Reuters Health.

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